Leadership Self-Assessment Reflection

LEADERSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT
Leadership Self-Assessment
Michele Joyce
University of New England
EDU 701Educational Leadership
March 2015
Leadership Mission Statement

As an educational leader, I strive to bring empathy to leadership to create a collaborative,
caring, and professional learning environment in which all members of the school community are
treated with dignity, respect and nurturing that enables each individual to grow towards his or her
potential as an active and engaged member of our learning community. I recognize that each
individual brings different strengths to the maximum functioning of the educational environment.
I will use this knowledge to highlight the interdependence of our strengths while building an
effective leadership team.
Leadership Strengths
The results of the Natural Leadership Qualities Survey identified me as a split between
Dynamic Supportive and Creative Assertive (Glanz, 2002). Reflecting on the traits of these two
leadership profiles, I am in agreement that they are the predominant characteristics that I exhibit.
As a Dynamic Supportive, I do well in situations where I can problem-solve with other people. I
bring a human element to the table and indeed have found myself using my interpersonal skills
to humanize the school bureaucracy (Glanz, 2002, p. 44). I found this especially true as a
curriculum trainer and at various points in time as a school board member. I was often the one to
bring the conversation back to what it best for students and what has the biggest impact on
student learning. Because of my Creative Assertive traits, I do well in situations where I have
the freedom to brainstorm alternative solutions to problems (Glanz, 2002, p. 170). This served
me well as a reading coach, since the position not only enabled me to think outside of the box,
but encouraged it. I enjoyed working independently and thrived on the autonomy.
Combining the two quality types, at my best I am a leader who encourages active
participation from all stakeholders. I am sincere, independent, strong-willed, and intuitive
(Glanz, 2002, p. 39). I am willing to listen, am adept at helping others with creative problem
solving, and enjoy sharing a good laugh (Glanz, 2002, p. 39, 72). I work well in small groups
but I also need periods of solitude to reflect and rejuvenate (Glanz, 2002, p. 161). I can be
confident, but that characteristic is not at the forefront of my strengths. According to Glanz
(2002), Dynamic Supportives are capable of taking charge of a situation but are not necessarily
inclined to do so (p. 39). This is true for me. I was encouraged to become part of the leadership
of the school board, but it did not come from my own desire to pursue it. Other traits are that I
am detail-oriented when engaged in a project and can become completely absorbed in a task
(Glanz, 2002, p. 72). When in a group, I try to relate to each member but find that not everyone
can relate to me. This reflects a Dynamic Supportive and Creative Assertive dichotomy.
Others might interpret some of my traits differently. When in a group, my active
participation may not always be evident. I tend to be more reserved. However, Glanz (2002)
describes Assertives as being willing to put forth their strong views on matters at the right
moment (p.6). This is very true for me.
My friends and colleagues know that I am a good listener. They run ideas by me, ask for
input on tough decisions, and come to me to vent. Several colleagues from when I was teaching
in CA will call or email when faced with challenging situations or decisions. I am able to ask
questions that get them to reflect on the situation, weigh the options, and consider different
angles. This was also showed in my work as a reading coach and as a support provider for new
teachers. I was able to manage the delicate balance between encouraging self-reflection and
providing evidence and feedback indicating the need for improvement. I was sensitive to the
needs of the individuals (Glanz, 2002, p. 72).
Honoring my Creative Assertive traits was difficult as a board member because of the
way meetings tend to run; the most vocal individuals tend to monopolize the floor. It takes me
longer to formulate and articulate my thoughts and feelings, which was frustrating for me. At
times I felt I was not able to participate to the fullest amount I wanted. However, once I was in a
leadership role, I was able to have an impact on how meetings ran and was very conscious of
allowing time for everyone to share their thoughts. The result was that I annoyed those who tend
to dominate because I did not give them the floor. I found that I clashed the most with one
particular board member who showed traits from the lower end of the Adaptive Aggressive
continuum, such as being pushy, cocky, petty and manipulative (Glanz, 2002, p. 49). I tried to
create an atmosphere where everyones engagement is valued, but it was interpreted by this
particular member as me censoring his participation and by others as interfering with the status
quo of how meetings had been run. When it comes to building consensus among the board, I
want all voices to be heard, not just the loudest. In retrospect, I could have been more articulate
in explaining my reasoning. According to Glanz (2002), it may take longer for others to
understand the intentions of a Creative Assertive leader (p. 76).
A negative trait I have seen in myself is that I can become brusque when frustrated or
challenged by someone whom I feel is acting aggressively (Glanz, 2002, p. 74). This showed in
my reaction to the audience at a particularly contentious board meeting. Past chairs had tolerated
an atmosphere in which audience members clapped, cheered, audibly scoffed and made retorts
during board discussions. Disgusted with this behavior, I reached my tipping point when they
interrupted our student liaison while she was making a comment. I informed them that if they
could not behave appropriately, I would ask them to leave or would have them removed. The
result was that at subsequent meetings audience members used the public participation portion of
our meetings to speak and the clapping and jeering stopped. While I still stand behind my
behavior, I recognize it is reflective of Creative Assertive traits.
Overall, I feel that the balance of Dynamic Supportive and Creative Assertive describes
me well. While I may revert to behaviors on the lower end of the continuum of either profile at
times, I think that is something that I can overcome with practice. The process of completing my
leadership self-assessment not only provided me with insight regarding my own strengths and
weaknesses, but it also gave me a better understanding of other leadership styles.
6
References
Glanz, J. (2002). Finding your leadership style: A guide for educators. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Feedback:
Module 2: Leadership Self-Assessment
MicheleI am so impressed with your story about telling people to behave at board meetings. That is a very difficult thing
to do. I am sure that while some people were not happy many others gained tremendous respect for you.
Thanks!
Anne

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What leadership strengths does the assessment identify in the author?

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LEADERSHIP SELF-ASSESSMENT

Leadership Mission Statement

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